Wiki
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Release Date
21 June 1985
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Length
11 tracks
Steve McQueen is the second studio album released by Prefab Sprout. Originally released in June 1985, it was retitled in the U.S. as Two Wheels Good due to a legal conflict with the estate of the late American actor. The album reached #21 on the UK album chart and #178 on the Billboard 200.
On April 2, 2007 the album was reissued as a legacy edition double-cd, featuring remastered versions of the original tracks and a bonus disc featuring eight acoustic reinterpretations of selected songs recorded by Paddy McAloon in 2006.
Critically acclaimed at the time, it reached #4 in the 1985 NME end-of-year poll for best albums and #28 on the Pazz & Jop poll.
It has subsequently featured in a number of all-time polls for best album including #47 in a poll by The Times in 1993, #90 in a poll by Mojo in 1995 and #61 in a 1997 poll by The Guardian.
Paddy McAloon on the album:
'Steve McQueen' was Thomas (Dolby's) record in a way… I gave him a huge collection of songs, and almost all the ones he picked were written in 1979, long before 'Swoon'. - Melody Maker, August 4, 1990It just seemed like an intriguing title for an LP. He was really good in an un-arty way. He was never hyped up. It's that instinctive feeling I like. - Melody Maker, June 1, 1985
Well yeah, I latched onto him (Steve McQueen) not because of his film career, but… I like the sound of his name. I had a vision one night that the LP should be called 'Steve McQueen'. I like playing around with the idea of how people will see us. The LP cover is the three (sic) of us on a motorbike, one of McQueen's trademarks, yet something you'd never associate with Prefab Sprout. So it's a pretty superficial link between the title and the album. It's eye-catching and sounds great on the ear. If it gets people's backs up, then great. - Blitz, June 1985
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